Eye of the Storm
by Jallybwan
Summary: Jacob lived a happy life. So did Andrew. But there have always been people out to ruin others' lives. The roving band of murdering pirates were no exception. Torn from his family, Jacob flees into the wilderness, where he meets a man living with his friend in the woods. Now, as Jacob's mind is clear and he can worry about more than survival, he can think of only one thing. Revenge.
1. A New Start

**Disclaimer: I don't own Terraria. I only own my OCs.**

 **All rights to Terraria go to Re-Logic.**

 **Rated T for safety.**

 **Chapter 1 - A New Start**

The tears were still streaming down his face. His dirty blond hair was dark with sweat.

He couldn't cope with everything that had happened in the last six hours. The despair at losing his family, the exhaustion from running away, and the ever-growing weight of his tools – it was almost too much. Almost.

The temptation to just lay down and die, feed the worms, was overwhelming.

The only thing stopping him was the promise. The promise he had made to his mother, rest her soul, before the pirates came and took her away. And the worst thing was, they hadn't just locked her up in a cell, or made her a slave.

No. They had taken Anita away from life altogether. He had seen it happen with his own eyes.

 _The acrid scent of burning wood was filling up his sense of smell. His watery eyes could see nothing but smoke and steel and… something red. Very red. And it smelled like iron._

 _So did her corpse._ Their _corpses. Everything he had ever known was gone, either burned or lying in piles of rubble._

 _The only reason Jacob was still alive was because, amidst the chaos and confusion, he ran from the small cottage while the pirates were still raiding the chests._

 _They took everything. His dad's trusty wooden bow, his sister's jewellery, his mother's life… Gone. Gone like the fallen stars in the daylight._

 _The captain was the one who had done the deed. Tall and muscular, with a large red beard and a huge hat. A massive cutlass was strapped to his belt. Everything about the man, if you could call him that, seemed big._

 _A deckhand ran up to him and yelled something at him. Jacob only caught a few words, but he caught the general meaning._

 _'Pathetic... No resistance... Granny fought better than this...'_

 _The massive man pushed him away and motioned for him to continue ransacking the house._

 _The parrot on his shoulder squawked noisily._

 _The captain chuckled and patted it roughly. 'Don't worry, boy, you'll get your share of food. Just don't misbehave.'_

 _His voice was deep and gravelly, grating on Jacob's ears. He swore that, one day, this pirate would burn in the depths of the Underworld._

 _Even in his panic and sorrow, he had not forgotten to take_ his _possessions – a small assortment of copper tools and a few mushrooms._

 _He had contemplated drawing his small shortsword and rushing to defend his family, but once he had seen his father being mercilessly cut down, even with an iron broadsword, he thought better of it and retreated out the back window._

He thought of the pirates' crazed smiles. His family's screams. His rational part screamed at him to gather resources, but all he wanted to do was sleep. Sleep forever. Sleep until the beasts came to feed on his scrawny body.

Sleep until he could see his family, healthy and well, in the afterlife.

So lost was he in his grief that he didn't see the traveller until they had collided and were on the ground, writhing to get up.

'I'm sorry sir! I didn't see you there! Please forgive me!'

The traveller was the first to get up. He eyed Jacob with a wary expression and said in a soothing voice

'Don't worry, I won't hurt you. What's wrong? You seem troubled.'

Jacob looked up at him, still on the ground. It triggered another painful memory of his father, alive and smiling.

Short brown hair covered by a green cap, tender hazel eyes, a tanned complexion. It was almost exactly like his father. Even the semi-baritone voice reminded him of his late daddy.

It was too much. He took one look at the man and broke down into tears again.

The stranger recoiled in shock. "I'm sorry, what's wrong?"

Jacob felt embarrassed and ashamed. He made an attempt to wipe his tears and said in a choked voice 'My... my family... they-'

He was assaulted by another wave of grief, causing him to break down again. In public. He supposed he should have felt mortified, but his sorrow overwhelmed him, leaving no room for other emotions.

The stranger knelt down and touched Jacob's head gently. 'Let me guess. Pirates. They... killed your family, correct?'

Jacob could do nothing but nod. The stranger grabbed his hand and pulled him to his feet.

'Come on then. I'll take you to my house. Clean you up.'

Jacob stumbled along after the man, his gratefulness finally cutting through his haze of grief. 'Wh... Why would you h-help me? I... I'm worthless, cowardly. I didn't even t-try to help when those... those cursed pirates k-killed my family...'

The man looked back at Jacob with sheer pity in his eyes. 'No. You are not worthless. You are not a coward. You are smart. If you had tried to fight those pirates, you would have been killed. Since you ran, you ensured that your family's bloodline still lives. Your parents would have wanted you to survive. I'm sorry that your family was taken from you, but remember, no matter what anyone tells you, _it was not your fault!'_

Jacob looked at him, shocked at this man's statement. It had brought back his hope. His will. He _needed_ to survive. For Anita, his mum. For Andrew, his dad.

And for Kinzie. His baby sister.

He gritted his teeth and walked on, his confidence returning with every step. He knew he would never fully recover from his family's death.

But he could damn well try.

They arrived at the small cottage. It wasn't much, about three and a half metres tall, made out of oak wood. The roof was made out of stone bricks, gently sloping down from the chimney. There were a few windows here and there, looking in to a cozy living room.

Jacob had seen and visited much bigger houses, but he knew how much he needed to rest. He would gladly sleep on the floor, if that meant he had a roof over his head, and the ease of mind that no monsters would try to murder him while he slept.

The stranger pulled open the oaken door and gestured for Jacob to step inside. With a mischievous glint in his eye, he proclaimed 'Ladies first.'

Jacob chuckled for the first time in days, and ran inside, ignoring the rub.

The man followed him in, closing the door behind him. 'Well, since we're already insulting each other, I think we should at least know each other's names. I'm Andrew.'

Jacob locked away the information in his brain and replied 'I'm Jacob. Thanks for helping me back there. If you hadn't come along, I might well have just given up and died.'

'Think nothing of it. I'm a bit lonely around here, and what twisted hellspawn would just ignore someone obviously in need of help? It's just custom in this part of Terraria. It's not the law, I could well have avoided you, but, again, who in the Underworld would do that?'

A few sprang to Jacob's mind. His wicked aunt. His bully cousin. And, of course, the pirates. He wanted revenge so badly. He wanted to throw the pirate down a long shaft into the depths of the Underworld, hear his agonised screams as he burned alive in a pool of magma.

Andrew strode towards the kitchen. 'I'm just going to prepare some dinner. Be back in a few minutes - make yourself at home.'

And with that, he was gone, leaving Jacob to his violent fantasies.

He wanted the captain to suffer as he did. To feel what it was like to be overwhelmed by pain. Jacob swore that, if he ever saw that brute again, he would make his short life hell.

And he never broke his word.

'Excuse me, are you okay? You seem to be in a bit of a trance there.' A new voice brought Jacob out of his violent fantasy. He looked over to the hallway, where the voice came from.

The stranger wore a brown coat, topped off with brown shoes and a brown hat. His beard was white, trailing down to his chest. His kind grey eyes gazed at Jacob with a look that reminded him of his grandfather.

'I'm sorry, I didn't know you were there. I'm Jacob.'

The man looked at him and smiled warmly. 'I heard. Andrew acts tough, but he's got a soft heart. He told me all about it. I know it never sounds genuine, but I really am sorry.'

Jacob's sadness must have registered in his face, because the man hastily changed the subject.

'I'm Walter. I'm a merchant by trade, but with all the bandits around, I thought it best to just stay here for a while.'

Jacob relaxed at the man's soothing words. 'I'm sorry, I don't have any money at the moment.'

Walter looked shocked. 'Oh no, you don't have to pay anything! I'd never charge someone who went through what you just did! Here, have some healing potion – it'll help you get your strength back.'

He handed Jacob a red bottle. He recognized the shape of the flask and swigged it down. It tasted just like he knew it from his days of training with his dad.

Andrew came through with a platter of roast lamb. 'Anybody hungry?'

Jacob knew then that he could live with them.


	2. Why Chores are Bad for You

**Chapter 2 - Why Chores are Bad for You**

 **All rights to Terraria go to Re-Logic.**

 **I only own my OC's**

Jacob woke to a banging on the door. He thought for a split second that it was his dad, nagging him to get up and train.

Then he remembered.

The memories of yesterday were enough to make him close his eyes and shed a tear. The door rattled again.

Sighing, Jacob got out of bed, his back and heart aching, and went to answer the persistent knocking.

'Walter? What are you doing at this ungodly hour?'

The offending merchant chuckled and looked him in the eye. 'I'm just going to wake Andrew up. Wanna help?'

Jacob wondered why he would need help waking Andrew. Then he saw the bucket of water Walter was holding.

'Ummm, maybe not, thanks all the same. I'll check back later to see how it went.'

Walter chuckled again. 'Oh, it'll go down great, I'm sure.'

He trotted down the hallway and opened the door to Andrew's room, giggling as he did.

A few seconds later, there was a shout, closely followed by a 'DAMNIT WALTER!'

The prankster hurried past Jacob, moving surprisingly fast for a man of his age. Andrew ran after him, screaming obscenities at Walter, his head soaking wet.

Jacob rolled his eyes, a smile on his face, and followed them downstairs.

When he found them, Andrew was pounding the bathroom door, still furious and still soaked.

Jacob decided to speak. Maybe give Walter a chance to escape.

'Did I miss something?'

Andrew turned and noticed Jacob standing there, an amused look on his face.

'Nothing. This slime gave me a rude awakening. Go back to bed.'

Jacob couldn't hold in a laugh. Andrew was immediately suspicious.

'You didn't have anything to do with this, did you?'

'No! He came to my door, asking if I wanted to help. I declined!'

A muffled voice came from behind the door. 'Tattletale!'

Jacob ignored the unfortunate merchant and spoke to Andrew.

'Well, I'm up now - how do you like your coffee?'

Andrew was so surprised at Jacob's willingness to help that he almost didn't notice the bathroom door handle slowly turning. Almost.

He turned and said in a calmer voice

'Out you come then. We're just making breakfast.'

Jacob, still not getting an answer, turned to Walter and repeated his question.

'I'll just have some tea, thanks - never liked coffee anyway.'

Andrew spoke up then, requesting his own coffee. Two teaspoons of coffee grains and a dollop of Royal Hive's honey.

Jacob nodded and strode over to the kitchen to find the necessary ingredients.

Ten minutes later, they had all finished their respective drinks and Walter and Andrew were going about their daily chores. Jacob, not knowing what to do, sat on the veranda.

It was a comforting place, a stark contrast to his home. His _old_ home.

A sharp pain sliced through his head and his chest, bringing tears to his eyes.

 _'Pathetic...'_

'Jacob? You okay?'

Andrew's voice cut through the pain and Jacob looked at him, fresh misery evident in his eyes.

'Yeah, just... memories. What can I do to help?'

Andrew was again shocked at his willingness to serve. The poor boy had been through so much, but still put others before him - Andrew had never seen such a selfless person.

'Uh, I really don't know. There's not much to do around here except fight slimes. Or rabbits, if you're really mean. I guess you could cut down a few trees, gather some wood. Or you could quarry stone for a bit. I'd like to renovate the house a little, maybe extend it.'

Jacob nodded and picked up his axe, which was leaning against the wall.

'Right then. How many do you reckon I need to - to cut down?'

He was slightly embarrassed at the little voice crack. Andrew didn't seem to notice, but it still bothered him. What if he got into a conversation with a cute girl, and then his voice broke? He wouldn't seem very manly, would he?

Andrew snapped his fingers in front of Jacob's face, snapping him back to reality.

'Hello? Anyone home? Please leave a message for Jacob - he probably only needs to cut down five or six trees, okay?'

Jacob rolled his eyes and headed off towards the woods. He chose a large oak and swung his axe at it, carving a small dent in the tree. Pretty soon, he had a pile of wood and leaves beside him.

He wiped his sweaty brow and moved onto the next tree, another oak. He drew back his axe to swing...

And felt another hand on his.

Startled, he swung his _body_ round this time to see a young, green haired woman standing there, a miffed expression on her face. She was only wearing a few simple, well-placed vines.

"Oi! Go find an actual tree to knock down, you big oaf!"

Jacob was confused. "This _is_ a tree, isn't it?"

The woman rolled her eyes, fire blazing inside them. "Look closer, lumberjack."

Jacob, starting to feel a bit scared of this strange girl, did as he was told. Upon inspecting the tree in question, he noticed the barely visible outline of a door.

"Right! I see your inferior human sight is getting better. By the Eye of Cthulhu, you humans must be blind!"

Jacob remembered something, the memory sparked by her statement. ' _The Eye of Cthulhu?_

His dad (he felt a pinch in his stomach whenever he thought of his late family) had talked about this creature with a sense of reverence in his voice. One of the Myths.

 _"What are the Myths, daddy?"_

 _His dad laughed, a strong laugh that had always made Jacob feel safe._

 _"Well, son, the Myths are magical things that represent different parts of this world. There are twenty-two of these awesome things altogether:_

 _The Eye of Cthulhu, Embodiment of Presence._

 _The Eater of Worlds, Embodiment of Evil._

 _The Brain of Cthulhu, Embodiment of Blood._

 _The King Slime, Embodiment of Monsters._

 _The Queen Bee, Embodiment of Wildlife._

 _Skeletron, Embodiment of Possession._

 _The Wall of Flesh, Embodiment of Change._

 _The Destroyer, Embodiment of Might._

 _The Twins, Embodiments of Sight._

 _Skeletron Prime, Embodiment of Fright._

 _Plantera, Embodiment of Growth._

 _The Golem, Embodiment of Protection._

 _Duke Fishron, Embodiment of Viciousness._

 _The Lunatic Cultist, Embodiment of Insanity._

 _And The Moon Lord, Embodiment of Absolution._

He was brought back to reality with an overwhelming sense of weakness and tears in his eyes. His arm felt like lead. He found it hard to stand upright.

He slowly turned his head back around, even that slight movement setting fire to his nerves, to see the green-haired tree lover with glowing leaves flying around her.

" _How would you like it if_ your _house was about to get demolished? Do you want me to do it for you? I think I will!"_

Something about her voice had changed. It was no longer a terrifying voice from in front of him, but a terrifying voice coming from all around him, from the forest itself.

The woman disappeared in a flash of green (she seemed to love that colour), leaving Jacob stumbling around blindly, searching for something to lean on.

After finding a tree to lean on, he checked it for the outline of a door. Finding nothing, he sat down to catch his breath.

A few minutes later, he got up and staggered in the direction of the house. What he saw there made his blood run cold.

Andrew walked up to him, a furious look on his face.

"You pissed off a dryad, didn't you?"

 **RIP house, you were a good house...**

 **1 review = 1 wooden plank to help re-building**


	3. Embodiment of Presence

**Chapter 3 - Embodiment of Presence**

 **All rights to Terraria go to Re-Logic.**

 **I own only my OC's**

Jacob was sweating. Hard. His whole body was soaked with fluid. He put down the wooden board he was carrying.

"How many people did you have to help you build this house?"

Andrew looked up from the blueprints he was studying.

"Me, Walter, and..."

He trailed off, a glazed look over his eyes.

"And... who?"

Andrew ignored him, still staring off into the distance.

Jacob shrugged and went back to lugging his board across the scorched ground. How on _earth_ (pardon the pun) had a _dryad_ of all things managed to destroy something with fire? Weren't they supposed to be tree spirits?

Turning his gaze to Walter, he found the merchant lying on the ground, breathing heavily.

"You alright? You look half dead."

Walter slowly turned his red face towards him. "Never... been one... for heavy lifting," he panted.

Jacob chuckled and continued walking. After a few more hours of grunting and throwing wood around, the groundwork for the new house had been completed. He turned to Andrew, whose cap was on the ground beside him.

"This seems just a tad bigger than the old house," Jacob panted.

Andrew chuckled. "Well, I've been wanting to add more rooms for a while. Now I have an excuse."

Walter, who had gotten up and started dragging lumber around, stopped abruptly and dropped his log. He turned slowly to glare at Andrew.

"You mean... this is... a bigger house?"

Andrew's chuckle turned into a loud guffaw, and Jacob started to laugh as well. Walter carried a look of absolute betrayal on his face as he collapsed onto the ground.

 _Later that night..._

Sitting on a blackened picnic blanket Andrew had managed to salvage from the wreckage, the three men ate a hearty meal of blueberries and roasted bunnies.

"How did you manage to catch even _one_ rabbit, much less three? Jacob, you must be a dryad yourself – no one just _stumbles_ across a burrow and _captures_ one."

Jacob shrugged. "Not sure, Walter – I'm just good at hunting, I guess."

Andrew leaned back and slipped his cap over his eyes. "Right then, time for bed. Come along, children."

Walter yawned. "Will you read me a bedtime story if I ask nicely?"

This set off a round of laughter around the blanket. A few minutes later, all three were completely unconscious.

 _Even later that night..._

Jacob woke up to a feeling of being watched. He sat up and looked around, seeing no-one. Starting to get freaked out, he gathered up his courage and shouted.

"Who's there?"

"Jacob? What? What's going on?"

Jacob jumped, before realizing it was Andrew who had spoken. It looked like he had just woken up, with his cap tilted over one eye.

"Nothing. Just... felt like we were being watched."

At this, Andrew's eyes widened. "Oh crap. Quick, wake up Walter. We'll need everyone's help for this."

He looked at the moon. Or at least, where the moon should have been. Instead, there was a large, round shadow with tendrils coming out of the back. It almost looked like... an eye?

 _Embodiment of Presence..._

Jacob's heart sank as he remembered his father's words. If he was correct, they were in for a hell of a fight.

"What do you... oh crap." This was Walter. He stood up and drew a shuriken out of the pack beside him.

Andrew picked up the bow he'd been carrying with him since Jacob had been here. "Right. Jacob, can you fight?"

Jacob nodded. "My dad taught me how – I'm pretty good with a sword."

The shadow, growing closer by the second, slowly coalesced into a giant eyeball.

The Eye of Cthulhu had awoken.

With a deafening roar, it charged at Walter, who dodged out of the way and threw one of his shuriken. Jacob, filled with the desire to protect his friends, lunged towards the Eye with his sword drawn. With a roar of his own, he plunged the copper shortsword into its soft, slimy flesh. It screeched and turned towards him.

Suddenly, and arrow sprouted from its iris. Then another. And another. Andrew was letting an arrow loose nearly every second now, driven by the same force Jacob was.

As the Eye turned its attention to the annoying pest that was shooting at it, Walter unleashed a barrage of shuriken at its _blind_ (pardon the pun again) side. Simultaneously, Jacob slashed and hacked relentlessly, aiming for any part of the Eye that was exposed to him. Slowly but surely, their combined waves of attacks drove the Eye back into the air.

Then it started to spin. Smaller eyeballs, about the size of Jacob's head, split off from the iris and pupil. They started to rush the trio, intent on ripping them to shreds. Walter's shuriken worked well against a crowd, as they sliced through one eyeball and embedded themselves in the next.

While Walter dealt with its minions, Jacob and Andrew rushed the Eye. Or what was left of it. Instead of an iris and pupil, there was a huge, gaping mouth. It turned towards them and gave an even louder roar than before.

Andrew fired an arrow at it. It swerved and charged at him, roaring again. Andrew just barely managed to dodge, but the Eye changed course with insane speed and charged again, slamming into Andrew and throwing him through the air.

"Andrew! You bastard!"

Jacob yelled and rushed the creature again, slashing at it with no sense of self-preservation. Even the Eye seemed surprised at the sheer rage coming off of Jacob. He'd lost his family, his home, and he wasn't about to lose his friend too!

The creature backed off, and screeched at Jacob. It rushed him, faster than the _eye_ (I'm sorry) could follow. But this time it didn't pause between charges even for a second. It kept dashing at him from all directions at once, never letting off.

Jacob's strength was beginning to wane. He had never seen such intense speed before! He started to lose confidence, but then he caught a glimpse of Andrew, defenseless and sitting by a tree. His rage came back. His expression turned from fear to one of grim determination.

Time slowed down. In his mind's _eye_ (kill me now) he saw it coming from directly in front of him, hoping to devour him whole. Jacob looked at it and yelled at the top of his lungs, charging to meet it. At the last second, he jumped, holding the sword above his head, and brought it down in a massive cleave.

The Eye was sliced in two.

A choking sound came from its mouth. It started to shake, coughing blood. It then exploded, showering everything in the area with blood and viscera.

Jacob fell to the ground, landing on his rear. He wiped the sweat off of his brow and looked at the scene around him. Walter was stumbling around wearily, covered in eyeball fluid.

Andrew was still lying against the tree, crumpled and comatose. Jacob lurched his way over to him, before tripping over a large bag.

He stopped and stared at it for a moment, before shrugging and picking it up.

 _Three weeks later..._

Andrew limped into the new kitchen, chuckling with pleasure. He was proud of the new house, with five bedrooms, three bathrooms and a huge living room.

"Andrew! You're up!"

Jacob ran over to him with a huge grin on his face, before tackling him in a hug.

Andrew wheezed. "Ribs... ow..."

Jacob backed off quickly with that grin still present.

"It's been three weeks! Even Walter can't sleep that long!"

There was a muffled yell from the other room. "I heard that!"

"Then you know it's true!"

"Screw you, I'm going back to sleep!"

Jacob grinned again. "Well, we got the house done."

Andrew managed a small smile that looked more like a grimace. "I see that. By the way, who the hell nailed that plank in over there? It looks like a kid's work."

Another shout from the other room. "Screw you guys!"

Jacob and Andrew both burst into hysterical laughter, Andrew clutching his chest.

As they calmed down, they heard a knock at the door. Jacob ran over and opened it. His eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.

Standing in the doorway was the green lady wrapped in vines.

The dryad. 

**Oh shizzle! What's gonna happen next?**

 **Jacob: Shut up, you know I'm done for ;-;**

 **Me: Keep that up and I just might do that... :)**

 **Jacob: *whimpers***


	4. Hello Neighbour!

**Chapter 4 – Hi There Neighbour!**

 **Re-Logic owns Terraria.**

 **I only own my OC's**

Jacob slammed the door in her face, and leaned against it with all of his weight. Andrew looked over in concern. "What? Who is it?"

Jacob didn't answer, instead preferring to slide down the door and catch his breath.

There was a banging sound on the other end of the door. "What the hell? Is that how you treat your neighbour? Open the damned door!"

The door in question, having received two conflicting orders, decided to yield to the scary lady outside. It swung off of its hinges and flew across the room along with Jacob.

The dryad stepped inside, green light emanating from her eyes. "Well then, next time maybe you won't slam the door in my face!"

Andrew's eyes bulged even wider than Jacob's. "You! What are you doing here?"

She eyed him with a malicious grin. "Well, I heard you had beaten the Embodiment of Presence. I simply wanted to come and... congratulate you."

Jacob sat up, having regained consciousness, and glared at her. "Awww, did we kill your pet? Next time, get a leash!"

The dryad looked at him, then back at Andrew. "You're kidding me. Please tell me _he_ isn't the one who landed the killing blow."

Walter burst into the room, half-dressed and holding a shuriken in each hand. It would have been cool, except for his bunny-patterned boxers.

"Who? What? Where? What's going on?"

Andrew sighed. "Stand down Walter, I... know her."

Jacob's eyes decided to be part of the bulging contest. "WHAT?!"

The green lady chuckled. "Heh, you should have told me you lived with this bugger over here." She pointed at Andrew. "Maybe then I wouldn't have burned your house down."

Andrew sighed louder, before going to sit on one of the comfortable chairs around the table. "Yeah, we go back a fair while. How are you holding up, Alalia?"

She shrugged. "Meh. Could be worse."

Jacob shot to his feet. "Hang on, back up. I just have one teeny-tiny little itsy-bitsy question... HOW THE HELL DO YOU KNOW EACH OTHER?!"

Andrew grimaced, and glanced at Alalia. "Should I tell him or do you want to?

Alalia tilted her head. "He trusts you more. Can't imagine why."

"Alright, then..."

 _Andrew jumped up and down, squealing with joy. His mother watched over him with a content smile on her face. His dad was in the woods with an iron axe, chopping away at a tree._

 _"Daddy, why are you fighting that tree?"_

 _He turned around and scratched his bushy beard. "Well Andrew, if I don't, the trees will take over our house!"_

 _Andrew gasped. "But daddy, why are the trees taking over our house? Don't they have their own houses?"_

 _His mother spoke. "This land is under the blessing of a dryad. That means crops will grow faster and animals will be attracted to here. Of course, that also means the weeds grow faster, and the trees are so strong they could rip our house out of the ground."_

 _Andrew giggled. "Okay mummy!"_

 _Andrew ran through the woods with tears in his eyes. He didn't know what happened. There was a knock on the door, his mum hustled him out the back and told him to run._

 _He was about seven, so he wasn't about to disobey his mother. He ran, and he ran, and he ran, into the woods, away from the house._

 _Brought back to reality by tripping over a tree root, he flopped on his face and started to bawl. He sobbed for about five minutes before he heard light footsteps to his left._

 _He looked over, and gasped. A woman covered in vines came out of a tree, bathed in green light._

 _She spoke. "Hello little one, what are you doing in my grove?"_

 _Andrew looked around. Due to his tumble, he hadn't realized he had landed at the edge of a beautiful clearing. The grass was the most vibrant green he had ever seen, and all sorts of animals – deer, bunnies, dogs – flocked in by the dozens._

 _He looked back at the strange lady. "My... my mummy told me to run and, and..."_

 _He started to cry again. The woman in green picked him up and stroked his head. "Well, how about we see how your parents are doing, okay?"_

 _Andrew could do nothing but nod. "What's your name, little one?"_

 _"A - Andrew._

 _She nodded. "My name's Alalia. Let's go."_

 _They walked through the forest for about ten minutes, Alalia pointing out all the different foliage. "That's moonglow. It only blooms at night. Look, there's some daybloom. I bet you can guess when it blooms!"_

 _Andrew giggled. "In the day?"_

 _Alalia made an approving sound. "Right!"_

 _When they got to the house, they found it with a couple of holes in the wall. They entered through the back door, and Alalia called out._

 _"Hello? Anyone here?"_

 _Andrew joined in, calling for his parents._

 _"Mummy? Daddy? Where are you?"_

 _"Andrew? Is that you?"_

 _"Mummy!"_

 _She emerged from a door just down the hall. "Oh, you're safe! Who's that you brought with you?"_

 _Alalia spoke with a soothing tone. "My name's Alalia. Nice to meet you!"_

 _Andrew's mum rushed towards them and hugged her with an intense grip. "Oh, thank you for keeping my boy safe!"_

 _Alalia nodded. "No problem. He wandered into my grove and basically collapsed into tears."_

 _Mum sighed. "Well, come along. I'd best make you some tea."_

 _Andrew pressed his ear into the door. He heard Alalia and Mum talking on the other side._

 _"…Not sure if he'll pull through... I don't know what I'd do if he... he..."_

 _A sob came from the room. He heard Alalia's voice._

 _"What happened?"_

 _"There were pirates... he managed to fend them off, but he got cut badly during the fight..."_

 _"Hmph. Pirates. Useless bands of scum."_

 _His mum spoke again. "It... it's not safe here! You have to take Andrew with you! Please!"_

 _"Take him with me? I don't know, the forest isn't much safer..."_

 _"Please! Anywhere is safer than here! I..."_

 _A pause._

 _"I don't want anything to happen to my little boy."_

 **Hai again! Sorry for the shorter chappie, couldn't really be half-assed to write more :P**

 **Me: Now, by the power invested in me by Alalia -**

 **Alalia: So you're stealing my power now? *eyes start glowing green***

 **Me: Haha, no badassery for... you... *notices green eyes***

 **1 review = 1 prayer for Jally ;-;**


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